Less than half of teachers advocate Oxbridge

The Sutton Trust, which commissioned the study, warned it is deeply concerning that the majority of teachers would not encourage gifted students to apply to Oxford and Cambridge.

The social mobility charity claims more needs to be done in schools to “dispel the myths” about the two elite institutions and other leading universities.

A separate poll has also revealed that seven in ten secondary school teachers in the North are “increasingly worried” their pupils will end up on benefits.

The Sutton Trust study, which questioned 730 state secondary school teachers, found that just 44 per cent would encourage gifted students to consider Oxford or Cambridge, down from 50 per cent five years ago.

The survey also reveals that many teachers underestimate the proportion of pupils from state schools that study at Oxford or Cambridge. Around one in seven say they do not know.

Of the 86 per cent that gave an answer, more than half said it was less than 30 per cent, while just seven per cent said over half of the UK students at Oxbridge were from the state sector.

In reality, 57 per cent of students admitted to Oxbridge are from state schools, the Sutton Trust said.

Trust chairman Sir Peter Lampl said: “It is deeply concerning that the majority of state school teachers are not encouraging their brightest children to apply to Oxford and Cambridge.

“It is also worrying that almost all state school teachers, even the most senior school leaders, think that Oxbridge is dominated by public schools.

“The sad consequence of these findings is that Oxford and Cambridge are missing out on talented students in state schools, who are already under-represented at these institutions based on their academic achievements. We need to do much more to dispel the myths in schools about Oxbridge and other leading universities.”

The two universities also need to ensure they are accessible to bright students, regardless of background, Sir Peter said.

Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Brian Lightman said pupils need good careers advice from an independent, qualified adviser.

“We agree that young people should be made aware of the opportunities available to them, which is why we have been so concerned about the removal of national funding for face-to-face careers guidance by a qualified adviser,” he said.

“Applying to Oxbridge is only one of many appropriate routes for our brightest young people. There are many good universities in the UK and other excellent employment-based routes into top careers, all of which are available to high-calibre applicants from all backgrounds. Social mobility is about far more than entry to Oxbridge.”

The Yorkshire Post revealed earlier this year that just three schools in Yorkshire out of more than 500 were included in a national table of the top 100 schools with the most successful Oxbridge applicants.

A separate survey today warns that seven in ten secondary school teachers in the North are “increasingly worried” their pupils will end up on benefits, while almost half feel their efforts are “in vain”, because of rising levels of unemployment.

The figures come from the youth charity Prince’s Trust. Sam Kennedy, the charity’s regional director for Yorkshire, said: “We know that teachers are doing all they can to support their students and it is more important than ever to work closely with them to support those who may be struggling.

“All too often these young people fall out of the education system because they struggle to keep up and end up feeling that they can never achieve anything.”